Whisper, Whisper
by insyreni
Summary: Mostly follows the Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald game storyline. Largely fanon with distinct canon elements. Follows the adventures of May, a girl who can communicate with Pokémon (an unheard-of ability), her little brother Max, and their friend Brendan, as they journey across Hoenn together and come face-to-face with friends, foes, and legends.
1. The End of the Beginning

**One**

**The End of the Beginning**

The new room in the new house in the new town had just begun to look reminiscent of her old room in her old house in her old town when suddenly, with a crack and a shatter, a baseball crashed through the window above her desk, scattering shards of glass across its surface and the floor.

Fifteen year-old Mabel Flowers let out a high-pitched shriek and stumbled backwards, nearly knocking over a towering stack of unopened cardboard boxes.

"What the–"

There was a flurry of voices downstairs, and then heavy footsteps on the stairs, and then her father threw open the door, wearing his customary red track jacket and a highly concerned expression. Then he saw the broken glass under the window, and his countenance switched from worried to annoyed. "May! What in the _world_ is going on up here?"

His Zigzagoon had followed him into the room, and it sniffed around May's heels before letting out a short bark and jumping up onto her bed.

"Someone threw a baseball through the window, Dad, that's all." May crossed the room, gingerly avoiding stray pieces of glass, and carefully plucked the matter at hand from the floor. She tossed it lightly into the air and caught it. "I wonder whose it is."

Norman Flowers frowned. He took the baseball from May's hand and studied it closely. "Our first day in the neighborhood, and our new house is already falling to pieces."

May sighed and turned away from her father. Maybe if the house did fall down, she mused, then they could go back home to Fire Island. But it would take more than one baseball to do that.

"Who do you think the ball belongs to?" she asked, more out of politeness than curiosity.

Norman rubbed a hand through his closely-cropped dark hair in thought. "I bet it's courtesy of Barney Birch's kid… I've forgotten his name! And it's only been a few years–"

"Dad, it's been more than _ten_ years. And even then, we lived in Petalburg City with Gramps."

Suddenly, there were shouts from below the shattered window.

"Hey!" cried a voice, decidedly male. "Hey! Sorry 'bout your window, but do you think you could throw us our ball back?"

May heaved a groan. "If you'll excuse me, Dad, I think I'm gonna go show those klutzes a piece of my mind." She took the baseball from her father's outstretched hand and shoved it down deep into the pocket of her shorts. She then quickly retrieved her favorite pair of battered hi-tops from one of the boxes, pulled their laces tight, and stormed out of the new bedroom. The Zizagoon, startled from its short nap, let out another bark.

For all of his seriousness, Norman couldn't help but laugh. He reached down to pet the Zizagoon on its furry striped head.

Barney Birch's son had no idea what he was getting into.

**xXxXx**

There were only two boys left out in the yard once May reached the front door. She figured most of the others had scampered off once they had heard the sound of glass shattering. One of the remaining boys looked strangely familiar; the other boy was her little brother.

"Max!" she hissed angrily through clenched teeth. "You little–"

"Hey!" interrupted the other boy, who held a beaten-up baseball glove in one hand and a bat in the other. "It's not his fault! Don't blame him!"

"Then, whose fault is it?" May asked sweetly.

The boy gave her a weak smile. "I wasn't aiming for your house. I guess I'm not very good at baseball."

"Yeah, you've got that right," May muttered. She grabbed Max's hand and pulled him towards the back porch. "C'mon, let's go inside, dinner will be ready soon, and I'm sure Dad will want to give you a nice, firm talking-to–"

"Wait, May!" Max tugged his hand from her grasp and looked up at her with pleading eyes that were as dark as their father's. "Brendan and I haven't finished our game yet!"

Brendan. That name sounded unusually familiar to May. She studied the boy closely. He had hair so blond and bright that it appeared to be white in the late afternoon sunshine, large olive green eyes, and a mischievous smile plastered across his eager, thin face. Even though he looked to be about her age, he was at least an inch shorter than her.

"You can't play a game of ball with just two people, Max," May chided, her patience wearing thin. "C'mon, let's _go_!"

"You could play with us, then, if you'd like," Brendan commented casually, that mischievous smile growing even wider.

"No thanks," she spit.

"Oh, c'mon, we'll even go easy on you!"

May froze in her tracks. "And why exactly would you need to do that?"

"Well… you _are_ a girl," Brendan responded sheepishly. Max giggled.

"Ugh!" May threw her hands up exasperatedly in the air. "Now I _have_ to play so I can prove how wrong you are about that!"

"Alright! Two on one!" Brendan cracked his knuckles, which May thought was a bit overdramatic. "We're only playing with one base now. If you can make it there and back without being tagged by the ball, it's your run. Understand?"

"I think my tiny girl's brain gets it," she answered sarcastically. "Let's play ball already!"

By the time May and Max were called in for dinner, May was up by five runs.

**xXxXx**

"I swept your floor for glass, May, but I'd like to check it one more time before you go to sleep tonight. I don't want you to cut your foot or anything."

"Okay, Mom. Thanks."

"Could you pass the salt, Caro?"

There was a clinking of forks and knives as the Flowers family worked their way through the pasta salad. They were all strict vegetarians; Norman absolutely prohibited the consumption of Pokémon in the house.

"Should I order another truck from Machoke Movers to help you transport everything to Petalburg tomorrow?" Caroline Flowers asked as she chewed.

"What?" Max exclaimed, throwing his silverware down onto his plate. "You're not staying with us here in Littleroot?"

"Yeah, Dad," May echoed her little brother, dismayed. "I thought that this move meant that we'd all be living together."

"Like a real family!" Max added angrily.

Caroline reached for her young son's hand, but he snatched it away, glaring at her. May frowned into her food. Since the moment her family had arrived in Hoenn, it seemed like everything had gone absolutely wrong.

"I'll still see you kids on the weekends," Norman tried, attempting to bring smiles back to his children's faces. "Gyms usually close on the weekends."

Caroline nodded at her husband, trying to remain cheerful. "And remember, Petalburg is only a stone's throw away from here–"

Max slid back in his chair with a screech and dashed out of the dining room towards the staircase.

Caroline sighed and wearily put her head in her hands. Curtains of auburn waves shielded her face from view. Norman reached out to put a comforting arm around his wife, murmuring something in her ear.

May quietly slipped out of the dining room, leaving her dinner mostly untouched.

**xXxXx**

She didn't follow Max upstairs. She knew that they both needed room to breathe and to think. Instead, she chose to head back outside. She settled in on the front steps and looked up at the sky.

The sun had barely set, painting a fiery glow across the landscape. A faint breeze picked up, raising goosebumps on her arms and rustling tree branches. It was almost summer in the Hoenn region; tiny Illumises flittered through the air, their tails lighting up the growing dark. A flock of Taillows swelled up from the nearby treetops and floated like a cloud across the evening sky.

May wrinkled her nose at the sight of them. The Pokémon of Hoenn were so different from those of the Orange Islands. She was extremely grateful for her father's expansive Pokédex, or else she wouldn't have been able to name most of them. The species here were definitely interesting enough, but she missed the impressive array of bright and colorful creatures back home.

"Sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said what I did."

May choked on a startled breath. "Hhhhh!"

It was Brendan, the boy from earlier, standing on the front path. He gave her a funny look, head tilted and only one of his pale eyebrows slightly raised.

"Sorry," May explained. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be around."

"Well, I do live rather close by," he remarked, pointing across the way to a house nearly identical to her own, if not a bit larger. "With my Dad and Mom. I have an older brother, Blake, who recently moved to Rustboro City– it's the first major city after the forest– in order to work for the Devon Corporation."

"The _what_?" May asked, confused by the sudden rush of information.

"You know, Devon. They make Pokéballs, run the Marts, do a load of other things that I don't understand–"

"Oh, okay. The Silph Corporation runs things where I'm from."

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed." She thought for a moment, recalling some of what her father had said to her back in her room. "Are you Professor Birch's son?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Just a guess." She smiled to herself. "Is it fun, being a Professor's kid? You must know a lot about Pokémon."

"I don't know about that, but I do enjoy doing research with Dad. He likes to go out into the field a lot. He isn't chained to his desk like some other Professors. He loves exploring, and he takes me along with him a lot."

May felt slightly jealous. It sounded like Brendan got to spend a lot more time with his father than she got to spend with hers. "Where do you go–"

She was violently cut off by distant shouts.

"Help! Help! Somebody help me!"

May and Brendan glanced at each other nervously before dashing off together in the direction of the shouts.


	2. The Briefcase

**Two**

**The Briefcase**

By the time they reached the edge of town, May felt short of breath. Brendan could run a lot faster than she could, but she wasn't about to allow him the victory of that knowledge. Despite having known him for only a few hours, she already felt that there was a sense of competitiveness between them, most likely due to their baseball game earlier in the day.

She hugged herself, trying to alleviate the tightness in her chest, and pointed towards the grassy road ahead. "Where does this path go?"

"Didn't you just come into town by it today?" Brendan asked.

She glared at him. "I always fall asleep on long car rides," she retorted.

"Sheesh!" He threw his hands up in front of him in defense. "Well, this road stretches between here and Oldale, the next town over." He peered into the growing darkness uncertainly. "There's a lot of tall grass between here and there, though. I've never been out there on my own; my dad says that you would definitely need a Pokémon to travel through on foot."

"_You_ don't have a Pokémon?" May asked, genuinely surprised. She'd assumed that the children of any Pokémon Professor would be highly skilled in catching and training Pokémon.

Brendan frowned at her. "You don't have one, either."

She turned away from him, hugging herself even closer. "That's personal–"

They were interrupted by another desperate shout. "Please! Help me!"

"C'mon, let's go!" He tugged on her elbow with cold fingers.

May faltered, taking a step back towards the warm lights of Littleroot Town. "Shouldn't we get a few other people to come with us?" _Like, an adult? Who knows what to do in an emergency?_ Her father would've known what to do; he always did.

Brendan shook his head. His pale hair seemed to glow in the shadows as he looked towards the forest. "No time." Without a backwards glance, he dashed away towards the tree line.

"Oh, boy," May sighed. She took a deep breath through the nose, and then followed him into the darkness.

**xXxXx**

"Brendan!" May called out nervously through the trees. Because she was on her own, they seemed so much taller and imposing than they had before. "Hey, where'd you go–"

Suddenly, a hand reached up and pulled her down roughly behind a bush. She let out a small shriek of surprise.

"Shhhh!" It was Brendan! He placed his index finger over his lips.

"You need to stay still and quiet," he whispered.

"Why–"

"Quiet, remember?" He patted the ground next to him. "Come here. Don't let them see you."

"Who–"

Then, she heard the voices. She carefully readjusted herself behind the bush and peered through its leaves. Before her was a clearing, filled with tall grasses and settled into a slight dip in the forest floor. In the center of the clearing stood two people. They were looking down on what appeared to be a large rock.

May turned to Brendan uncertainly, but he was staring intensely through the leaves at the two people. She tried to get a better look at them, but the artificial glare of their industrial-sized flashlights left their faces in shadow. They were both wearing blue jeans and matching kerchiefs, embossed with a strange symbol, on their heads.

She listened closely, and discovered that she could make out their words over the whooshing of the night wind. One of the strangers was definitely a man; the other had a higher-pitched, feminine voice.

"He says he doesn't know about the girl," said the man to his partner.

"I'll bet the Red Orb that he's lying," she replied. She kicked the rock in front of her, and it let out a small moan. May clamped her hand over her mouth in order to suppress another shriek building up inside of her. _That was no rock!_

"What do we do?"

"It wouldn't sit well with the boss if we returned empty-handed. Let's take his briefcase. It might have some clues inside."

"We have to help!" May hissed at Brendan. "Whatever they did to that person on the ground can't be good!"

Brendan wasn't listening. He hadn't moved a muscle the entire time, but now he reached into his pocket and drew out a baseball. May recognized it as the one that had shattered her bedroom window.

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing my aim," he replied. Then, in a single motion, Brendan stood up from behind the bush and threw the baseball at the strangers with all of his might.

_Smack!_ The baseball hit the man square in the chest. He let out a shout and fell to the grassy floor.

"Who's there?" The woman spun around, revealing sharp, almost cruel, facial features and curly bright red hair that shone like fire in the glaring light. "Show yourselves!"

Before May even knew what was happening, Brendan stepped out into the beam of the woman's flashlight. "I think you should leave that briefcase alone."

The woman let out a short bark of laughter. "And I think that you should high-tail it out of here if you value your safety, kid."

"Put. It. Down." His voice sounded cold and remote. He stepped closer to the rock-sized person lying prone on the ground.

May stood up slowly, her head spinning with unanswered questions. _Who were these people? Why were they here? Who was their victim, and what did they do to him? And what was in that briefcase that made it so special?_

The man that Brendan had hit with the baseball rolled onto his knees, coughing. He rummaged around in the grass for his flashlight and the briefcase, and said something quietly to the woman that May couldn't hear.

"No!" she replied loudly. "We need it! Birch is an intelligent man, and the boss knows that. This briefcase could contain important information. If you don't agree with me, Matt, then you can go back to the boss and explain why you let this golden opportunity slip through your fingers!"

"There's nothing of importance to Team Aqua members in that briefcase."

The woman glared at Brendan. "How did you know who we are?"

"You have giant A's on your bandanas. How was I not supposed to know?"

Matt smiled, an expression that looked somewhat foreign on his square, blocky face, and therefore, rather frightening. "Good call, kid." He checked his wristwatch. "Well, we'd love to stay and chat, but–"

Suddenly, his face drained of its color. "Shelly!" he whispered hoarsely. "Shelly! Look!"

He was pointing directly at May.

Brendan followed his gaze. "Leave her alone!" he shouted.

Shelly stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "It's you, isn't it?" she asked.

May had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Uh…"

Matt carefully deposited the briefcase in front of the unconscious figure. "Never mind _this_ junk. We'll be taking the girl instead."

"What do you want with her?"

Shelly gave Brendan a calculating look. "Exactly how much do you know about your little friend, kid?"

"We're not exactly friends. We met a few hours ago," May explained. She located the abandoned briefcase. It was close to Brendan's foot. She gave him a hard stare, and he nodded back almost imperceptibly. _Now, if she could keep them talking…_

"Who are you people, anyway?" she asked Shelly.

"We're Team Aqua!" she answered in a proud voice. "We will expand the seas of Hoenn, at whatever cost! Someday, water will cover the entire world!"

May cocked her head. "Is that the best idea? Without land, where would you live?"

Shelly stared at her, uncomprehending. "What–"

"May! Catch!"

May threw up her hand dumbly. Something came hurtling through the air towards her and landed neatly in her palm. It was smooth and round, save for a small knob placed in the middle–

_A Pokéball!_ May couldn't believe it. She hadn't held one in what seemed like ages. Had Brendan gotten it from the briefcase?

"Go! Mudkip!" cried Brendan. There was a burst of red that momentarily drowned out all light in the clearing, even the harsh illumination created by the flashlights.

"Shelly, that kid has the briefcase!" Matt shouted.

"Because _you_ dropped it!" she shouted back. "Alright, kid! You asked for it! I challenge you to a battle!" She viciously tugged a Pokéball from one of her belt loops, and it expanded as it flew through the air.

"Go! Poochyena!"

Matt smiled at May unnervingly. "I think it's time that we fought it out as well, don't cha think?"

May stared down at the Pokéball in her hands. There was a tiny label pasted to its side. Hastily scrawled letters spelled out the name–

"Torchic!" May tossed the Pokéball into the air. "I choose you!"


	3. The Professor

**Three**

**The Professor**

"Torchic! I choose you!"

The clearing blazed pulsing red, and the blast of energy released from the Poké Ball rapidly twisted and swirled to form a diminutive figure that reached a height of just below her knees. It had a round body covered in sunset-orange feathers settled comfortably atop two sticklike legs, which ended in surprisingly formidable claws. A plume of fiery feathers sprouted from atop its head.

"Bruuuuuppppp!" cried the Torchic.

Matt eyed the small Pokémon at his feet and let out a cruel laugh. "You could've done a better job of choosing your weapon, girl."

"Weapon? Pokémon aren't _weapons_!" May retorted indignantly.

"I'm just being honest here. Calling them our 'friends' sounds a bit silly, wouldn't you agree?" He laughed again, causing May to cringe internally.

"Well," he continued, "I think I know the perfect way to settle our differences on that manner." His eyes were empty and pitiless as he called out, "Go! Carvanha!"

The burst of red sizzled through the night air once again as Matt's Pokéball hit ground and swiftly expanded to reveal a heavily-armored sea creature, complete with fangs and blood-colored eyes. It swam through the air, darting backwards and forwards, its expression far too feral for May's liking.

"Carvanha, use Bite!"

In the split second that she had left before the Carvanha attacked, May realized that there was no other way out for her and her assumedly highly inexperienced Pokémon. They had had no chance to establish any form of connection or partnership, and therefore, they would never survive a battle against their weakness type without it.

Besides, Matt seemed strangely keen on capturing her, and therefore, she _knew_ that she had to beat him.

_Torchic! Use scratch!_

_Wha–_

_Quickly! _she hastily added.

As the Carvanha, cruel jaws foaming and gnashing, rushed towards her, Torchic leapt into the air and lashed out with its right claw. "Bruuuuuppppp!"

The Carvanha quickly swam backwards towards its trainer, its eyes wide.

"May!" Brendan cried from across the clearing. "May! What's going on?"

"No time to explain!" she called back hurriedly.

_Carvanha, _she whispered softly. She wondered if it would hear her. She had never used her power on another trainer's Pokémon before.

_Carvanha. You need to help me. Please, return to your trainer and let us be. _

"Get out there, Carvanha!" Matt screeched furiously. "Aqua Jet! Take the girl and her little pet fuzzball _down_!"

The Carvanha hesitated. It ceased weaving and bobbing through the air and looked towards May in what could only be described as an expression of total uncertainty.

"Carvanha! You're useless!" Matt shouted.

_Please._

The Carvanha backed away slowly. May couldn't help but smile. _Phew._

"What did you do to my Pokémon?" Matt demanded, his face contorted in anger. "Why won't it fight?" Then he paused. Gave May a good long stare. Considered his Carvanha, and then did some more staring at her.

Suddenly, his countenance smoothed into another unnerving smile. "A-_HA_! I knew it was you!" His dark eyes eagerly searched her face.

"You _are_ the Whisperer after all!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," May answered, which was a half-truth. She hadn't ever realized that her power had a name, but she _did_ understand what Matt was trying to get at.

"That doesn't really matter to me, quite honestly. But _you_ matter to the boss, so you're definitely coming with me!"

"Don't you touch her!" Suddenly, Brendan was by her side, huffing and puffing, his face covered in a light sheen of sweat. His voice came out wheezy, as if he had just finished running a marathon. The Mudkip squatted near his foot. Its eyes watched her thoughtfully.

_Can you hear me? _it asked.

_Yes, _she replied.

_I've never encountered someone like you before. Then again, I really don't get out of that briefcase much._

May looked around the clearing for Shelly, and realized that Brendan had thoroughly beaten her. The Team Aqua member currently was throwing an impressive tantrum, near-buried in dirt and blades of grass.

_She's not a very good trainer, _Torchic mused. _I don't think she treats her Pokémon very well. Speaking of which, neither does this guy._

"Oh, step aside kid!" Matt roughly grabbed May's arm before she even knew what was happening.

_Torchic! Peck!_

"OWWWWW!" Matt yowled in pain as the point of Torchic's incredibly sharp beak collided with his exposed ankle.

"May!" Brendan whispered forcefully as Matt danced around on his uninjured foot. "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Battling without commands!"

"Um, well…" For some strange reason, she hesitated in telling him the truth.

On Fire Island, May had had no problem sharing knowledge of her ability with family, friends, and neighbors. They had always delighted in the fact that she could act as a mode of communication between them and their Pokémon. May of Fire Island was special and talented; would May of Hoenn be treated in the same manner, or regarded as an absolute freak?

"Never mind _that_," rumbled a voice like thunder from behind them.

May couldn't believe her eyes. The man who had been lying unconscious in the middle of the clearing was slowly getting to his feet. He dusted off his knees and flexed his arms, which were largely hidden by the long sleeves of a white lab coat. Underneath it, he wore a pale blue t-shirt, and on his enormous feet were a pair of beaten-up Birkenstocks. His face was just as blocky and square as Matt's, but unlike Matt, he exuded an air of friendliness and enthusiasm.

"Team Aqua." The man regarded Matt and Shelly, who had stopped bawling her eyes out, disdainfully. "I'd get out of here as quickly as possible if I were you. Or would you like to get a taste of _this_?" He flexed his arms again, and Shelly squeaked in fright. Even Matt looked a bit nervous, although they were both about the same size.

"C'mon, Matt!" she hissed. "We're done here! Let's go home!"

Matt looked at the man angrily, but he backed down. "Alright. Alright." He glared at May. "I'm letting you go for now, little girl. But mark my words, we'll come back for you–"

"Weren't you about to leave?" the man interrupted mildly.

Matt seemed to be dying to say something else, but he bit back a retort, grabbed his flashlight in one hand and Shelly's hand in the other, and stalked off into the dark of the forest. Night had truly fallen now, and the flashlight's beam was quickly swallowed by the dense growth of trees and bushes. Matt and Shelly vanished with it.

May unfroze. She felt like she was in a dream. She timidly looked up at the big man. He looked back at, or rather studied, her face.

"I see," was all he said.

Brendan let out a sigh of relief. "Gee, thanks. I don't know what we would've done without you, Dad." He punched his father lightly on the arm.

_Dad?_ May's mouth dropped open. Brendan looked absolutely nothing like his father, whose shaggy brown hair, tanned face, and bear-like body contrasted sharply with his pale, skinny son. However, there was something in their eyes, perhaps a sense of eagerness and boundless energy, which alerted her to their family resemblance.

"You seemed to be doing pretty well on your own, son," he replied. "You fight well." He glanced down at the Mudkip, still hovering around Brendan's legs. "And I think my Mudkip enjoys your company!"

Brendan reached down towards the small blue Pokémon and patted it gently on the head. "Thanks, buddy!"

"As for you, May," Brendan's father continued, and May wondered how this stranger knew her name, "You probably don't remember me, but my name is Professor Barnabas Birch." He grinned at her. "I'm glad that your family has returned to Hoenn. Your father and I are very good friends."

May felt uneasy, but she attempted smiling back. She was pretty sure that it came out more like a grimace. "Um… Nice to meet you. Again."

His eyes travelled across her face once more, and May sensed that he wanted to say something else to her. But he only responded with, "Let's go home, shall we? It's awfully dark out here, and honestly, I'm not a big fan of the dark."

_Neither am I,_ chirped Torchic. Its downy feathers brushed against her legs as they followed the path back towards Littleroot.


	4. The Revelation

**Four**

**The Revelation**

"May!" Caroline practically shrieked. She threw her arms wide and tugged her daughter to her chest. "What were you even thinking?!"

After Professor Birch had returned to his laboratory with May and Brendan in tow, he had called his wife and May's parents over. As the families convened, May's parents' deep concern for their daughter's well-being had quickly mixed with strong feelings of disbelief.

"Your mother's right, Mabel," her father added sternly, but May already knew how serious he was due to his usage of her full name.

"_Mabel_?" snorted Brendan. "What are you, an old grandma?"

"Shut up," May snapped at him. She turned to her father. "Dad, look, I'm really sorry, but–"

"You shouldn't be," interrupted Professor Birch. He clapped a hand to her shoulder, and the weight of it made her stagger. "Your daughter is something else, old friend. She was very cool in the face of fire–"

"She shouldn't have had to face that fire!" Norman exploded. "She's only a child! A child, Barney, against members of…" He trailed off uncertainly, looking around the room.

"It's okay," Professor Birch nodded. "She already knows. And I wouldn't think of her as a child anymore, Norman." His final statement sounded less like a suggestion and more like a warning.

Norman wasn't happy about that. "Team Aqua is dangerous to all, child and adult alike," he countered. "Their power cannot be ignored! I'm not even surprised they've caught us so quickly."

"Dear!" admonished Caroline. She relinquished May from her stifling grasp and faced her husband, arms akimbo.

"What do you mean, Dad?" asked May slowly. "Who caught us?"

Her father looked at her, then at her mother, and then at Professor Birch. He seemed extremely nervous, an atypical emotion for him.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Professor Birch led them deeper into the laboratory, past the more welcoming foyer into a stark white room filled to the brim with gadgets and gizmos. He motioned them over to a long, metal conference table, ringed by flexible plastic rolling chairs. One by one, his guests took their seats, but none of them felt even the slightest bit relaxed.

"May," Professor Birch began gently, all the usual energy and enthusiasm gone from his voice and replaced with something grave and serious. "Do you know why your family moved here, to Hoenn?"

May could practically feel her eyebrows shooting up into her hairline. "The Pokémon League wanted Dad to take his job back at the Petalburg Gym." _Duh,_ she wanted to add.

Bailey Birch, Professor Birch's wife and Brendan's mom, shot her husband a significant look. She looked near exactly like her son, with her wide green eyes and bobbed white-blond hair. "Barney, do you really think this is wise? You'll frighten her–"

"No, I want to know what's going on!" May hoped her voice didn't sound too whiney; she desperately wanted to sound as adult as they needed her to be in order to reveal their big secret.

"Please," she added. "I can handle it, I promise."

Barnabas Birch contemplated her for a long minute. Everything else in the room was deathly silent as he watched her, save for the background hum of constantly whirring computers and machines.

Then the Professor did something entirely unexpected. He reached into his battered briefcase and took out a Poké Ball. Torchic's Poké Ball, May realized. She could see the tiny label with its cramped handwriting even from her seat at the other end of the table.

"May, I want you to call out Torchic."

"Okay," May said slowly. She reached for the Poké Ball. Even the simple act of holding it made her feel slightly more confident, slightly more in balance. Its hard, metallic surface seemed to warm to her touch and tremble slightly, but she supposed that she was imagining it. Every eye in the room was on her face, which made it even more difficult to focus on the task at hand.

"Go! Torchic!" The red burst of energy coalesced atop the conference table.

_Hello, again, _May tried.

She could almost feel Torchic's grin reach her mind. _Hi! I was wondering when you'd call. _

It, or rather _he_ (May had decided that his mind-voice was distinctly male, but closer to a young boy's voice than that of a grown-up), paused, and then asked, _What's your name?_

_Mabel Flowers. _Her nose wrinkled. _I go by May, though._

_Alright, May! _Torchic hopped closer to her on the table, and waves of a comfortable sort of heat seemed to roll off his orange-gold plumage. She reached a hesitant hand out to pat his tiny head, and he closed his black eyes under her touch.

Norman sighed and wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "May," he said finally, "I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of you for saving Professor Birch. But you know how unsafe it is for you to resume communicating with Pokémon, especially after what happened…" He trailed off.

May shut her eyes tight. She didn't want to begin to think of that.

So instead, she said quietly, "Dad. I can handle myself this time. I _promise_." She opened her eyes to Brendan's curious stare, so she looked away.

Caroline reached for her other shoulder. The three looked at Torchic. Torchic looked back at them.

_This feels a lot like some kind of test, May, _Torchic said in the back of her mind.

"May, look at me." May turned to Professor Birch at the head of the table. "May. I want you to have this. It's yours."

He reached across the table and handed her Torchic's Poké Ball. She sucked in a breath of surprise.

"Are you sure?" she whispered.

He smiled and nodded. "As a thanks for saving me. Also, he seems to really like you already."

May reached out for Torchic once more and softly stroked his fiery feathers. "Thank you," she breathed. She didn't know where to look.

"Hey!" cried out Brendan suddenly. "What about Mudkip?"

His father's grin grew more pronounced as he looked down the table to his younger son. "I was wondering when you'd bring that up, Brendan." He reached into his briefcase for Mudkip's Poké Ball.

"I think it's time you received your first Pokémon as well, son. You've consistently proved yourself in the field, and tonight, you battled excellently despite having little to no experience in such matters." Professor Birch handed the Poké Ball to Brendan, and he took it from his father reverently. "She's all yours."

Brendan tossed the Poké Ball lightly into the air, and Mudkip appeared in the customary red flash of light. "Hruuuuummmmmm!"

"So." Professor Birch clasped his hands on top of the table as Torchic and Mudkip approached each other. Mudkip leaned over to give Torchic a curious sniff. She let out a short bark.

_You smell weird!_

May laughed, and the others looked at her strangely. She tried to turn her laugh into a cough. "Ahem."

"May, how many people did you know on Fire Island?" asked Professor Birch.

May grimaced. _What an odd question._ She thought back to her old home. It seemed as if her family had left it behind eons ago, even though they had just made their move a few days ago. She wasn't even done unpacking.

"Well," she said slowly. "Not many, I guess. The volcano takes up most of the island, and there's a shrine to Moltres there–"

"_Moltres_?" interrupted Brendan, his eyes alight. "The legendary bird?"

She nodded, and attempted to continue, but he excitedly asked, "Did you ever see it?"

"Brendan, let May finish," his mother admonished. She reached out to absentmindedly stroke Mudkip's slick head. "Hruuuuummmmm!"

"So there aren't many places on the island where people go, out of respect, you see. Our village is pretty small, actually, smaller than Littleroot. We had two neighbors, and there were a few houses across the street, and then a Pokémon Center and a Poké Mart. That's it. So probably around twenty-five people, tops. And sometimes tourists passed through, to visit the shrine."

"How people there knew of your… ability?"

She frowned. "Well, everyone… I guess. I never thought to keep it secret or anything. I was…" _Proud of myself,_ she wanted to say. But after the night's events, it seemed to her that everyone apparently thought her power dangerous, especially to herself.

"Your ability helped people. It made their lives easier."

She nodded, trying to stick up for herself. "Yeah. I _liked_ helping people to communicate with their Pokémon." She stared down at her hands, which she had twisted into a knot in her lap. "It was what I did."

Her father glanced at Professor Birch. "I know what you're thinking, Barney. Someone from the island let it slip. Maybe a tourist travelling back to the mainland. News flies fast." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his strong nose. "At any rate, we should have been more careful. We never imagined something like this, ever."

"Let what slip? What news?" piped up Brendan, looking around the table for an answer. He pulled Mudkip into his lap.

May had wanted to ask the exact same questions. Now she waited and listened for their answers.

Caroline placed a hand on her husband's arm. He looked at her and steadied himself.

"May," he said, looking carefully at his daughter. "May. The true reason we left the Orange Islands… We left because we were being followed."


	5. The Hard Truth

**Five**

**The Hard Truth**

May sat on her bed, staring at nothing. Her new room was still an absolute mess, a whirlwind of half-unpacked boxes and clothes spilling every which way and a desk that was only partially reconstructed. Calling May a neat freak was an understatement, but for now, she found that she could easily ignore the chaotic clutter. In fact, right now, she found that she could easily ignore everything.

She wondered if she was in a state of shock. Could you come down with PTSD from simply listening to a story? She didn't know.

It was now half-past two. Her watch shed a green glow in the near-complete darkness. The only other illumination came from a light shining from the windows of a second-story room across the street at Brendan's house. Perhaps it was his room.

Perhaps he didn't have the strength to fall asleep just yet, either.

"May," her father had said. "May. The true reason we left the Orange Islands… We left because we were being followed."

Specifically, by Team Rocket. Or rather, what was left of it. Team Rocket had been much more powerful during May's younger years, but by the time she could remember, it had largely fallen apart. Ever since Giovanni, the team's nefarious boss, had fallen ill, his followers had experienced an increasing state of desperation. Finally, after many years of ruling the underbelly of the Pokémon world, they had split apart into various factions, each with its own, sometimes rival, goal.

According to her father and Professor Birch, May had been targeted as one of those goals. Her parents had caught wind that their daughter was in danger. They had been frightened to remain on the archipelago any longer, lest something happen to her.

She had asked about that, too. "What could have possibly happened to me, Dad? If Team Rocket is so weak _now_, what could they have really done to me?"

"In their eyes, you would be a priceless acquisition. A girl who can communicate with Pokémon? Absolutely invaluable to their cause! In the old days, all Giovanni was about was capturing, and sometimes stealing, the rarest breeds of Pokémon. You would have been a wonderful asset in furthering this evil mission."

"Not even an asset," Bailey Birch had murmured. "A tool."

Professor Birch had nodded darkly at his wife's heavy words. "May, Giovanni is a terrible man. Had he acquired, no, _kidnapped_, you…"

"How did he even know about me, though? Nobody we knew on Fire Island would have ever–" Betrayed me. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"May," her mother had said kindly. "I don't think our old friends and neighbors would have ever leaked information about you, and definitely not to Team Rocket members. We loved them, and they loved us just as much. I know it.

"But word travels fast through our world. Someone with an utterly unique ability like yours is sure to have been discussed by many. Even here, apparently…" Caroline had trailed off, looking lost. "We thought we'd at least be safe here in Hoenn."

"Why return to Hoenn?" May had asked sharply. "Grandpa lives here. Dad was known for being the Petalburg Gym Leader. You didn't think that Team Rocket would have connected the dots?" Her voice had risen in volume as she grew more and more frustrated.

"We didn't think that Team Rocket would stray as far as Hoenn. Geographically, it just didn't make sense. If you thought our trip here from Fire Island was long, well. Kanto's on the mainland, and this island is practically its own continent. We decided we'd be significantly safer here, especially with all of our old friends surrounding us," her father had explained. "I'm much more familiar with this land's Pokémon League, too. If I ever needed assistance, my fellow Gym Leaders would be ready to aid us in a heartbeat."

The discussion had continued in this vein long into the night, and as the moon had risen in the star-strewn sky, May had attempted to throw every argument that she could at her parents and Professor Birch. To her dismay, even Brendan had taken their side.

"I think they made the right decision, May," he had remarked simply. "Team Rocket is still dangerous, even if its glory days are over." Then he had gone back to stroking Mudkip, who had curled up in a tight ball in his lap.

When they finally arrived home, her parents had seemed to sense that she just wanted to be left alone. They had silently climbed the stairs with her, and then headed off towards Max's bedroom in order to make sure he was safely asleep.

And now May sat on her bed in the darkness, staring at nothing, with only her racing thoughts to keep her company.

**xXxXx**

It was 8:30 in the morning, and already, the day was beginning to heat up. The morning mists were burning off, and steamy swirls and curlicues traced their way towards the bright, cloudless skies.

May took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the Birch's front door. But as soon as she did so, it flew open in her face, nearly pushing her straight off the front steps.

"May!" A hand grabbed her wrist, catching her at the last, teetering second. "Hey! Sorry, I wasn't expecting you. In fact…" The hand let go, and Brendan himself stepped fully through the doorway. "I was actually about to leave to go see you!"

May dusted herself off, and then looked up into his bright, eager face. "Oh."

"Oh, indeed." Brendan smiled at her. "See, I figured that last night might've put you in a bit of a foul mood, so…" He threw out his arms. "I thought my infectious sense of fun and penchant for enthusiasm might cheer you up!"

May couldn't help but laugh. "Aw, thanks, Brendan. But actually…" She sighed, pushing a stray, slippery lock of hair behind her ear, "I kinda wanted to see your dad. I still have a few questions for him."

"Oh." Brendan looked slightly disappointed that his mission of goodwill had been cut short. "I guess… Let me see if he's in!" He beckoned her forward into the cool, dark house.


	6. The Assignment

**Six**

**The Assignment**

The Birch house was a near replica of her own across the street. The kitchen and living room took up the entire back of the house. One side of the hallway led off to an office and guest bedroom, and the other led to a bathroom. Their upstairs floor probably had the exact same layout as her house: three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

But the difference between her house and Brendan's was the fact that it looked like people actually _lived_ there. The Birch's house was full of family photos, haphazard stacks of books covering nearly every free inch of surface, and what was probably the wonderfully homey smell of baking chocolate chip cookies. It was a messy house, but a happy house.

The kind of house that was home.

May closed her eyes and imagined, just for a second, that she was back on Fire Island. Her father would come home every night, and her mother would read to her and Max, wild and wondrous stories about Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, the three legendary birds.

She and Max had especially loved the ones about Moltres, eking out a living in his inhospitable volcano, which was not even a mile from their house. In the evenings, the volcano would stand silhouetted against the beautiful ocean sunset, and the palm trees would play a rushing music in the light sea breezes.

"Are you coming?" Brendan's voice seemed to come from far away.

May's eyes flashed open, and the memory vanished. "Yeah." She tucked the errant lock of hair behind her ear once more. "Yeah, I'm coming."

Brendan raised a hand to knock on the closed office door.

**xXxXx**

"It's been awhile, Maximilian."

The man in the molten red sweatshirt, emblazoned with a white _M_, nodded. "The same to you, Archibald." He paused, thinking fast.

"I hear you've come across a certain… _objective_, recently."

"I wouldn't necessarily use _that_ word," the man in the black button-down responded lightly. He adjusted his blue bandana, with its white _A_ symbol, atop his head, and tried to remain the picture of calmness and security. He wouldn't, no, _couldn't_ let his face betray the true knowledge of the situation that he possessed.

"Let's put aside all pretenses, Archie. I know you've found the girl." Maxie smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Team Rocket isn't much for keeping secrets, and our entire world is abuzz with news about her. But they can't pursue her here."

Archie nodded. This was the only thing that the two agreed upon. The continent of Hoenn was their turf, and no one in their right mind would cross into it.

"What are you planning to do with her?" Maxie asked with false politeness.

"Well, I'd like to further my cause, truth be told. She could aid me in realizing my greatest dreams–"

"Your greatest idiocies!" Maxie thundered, his mood suddenly swinging from one extreme to the other. "Will it ever get through to that thick skull of yours that flooding the world will help _no one_?"

"Have you ever heard of boats–"

"We all need the land!" Maxie continued, completely disregarding Archie's opinions. "The majority of Pokémon live off the land! And think of agriculture! And all of our cities!" He pounded his fist onto the bar, trying to emphasize his point. The bartender looked torn between wanting to tell him off and wanting to avoid trouble with the imposing leader of Team Magma.

"You're beginning to sound like that coward Norman, the Petalburg City Gym Leader," Archie retorted calmly. "Always going off about 'balance' and 'truth.'"

Maxie's face had gone blood red. "Well, if you intend to capture her," he puffed up his chest magnificently, "Then I intend to protect her!"

Archie leaned back in his barstool, not in the least bit afraid of tipping over onto the hardwood floor. He grinned cheekily at Maxie. "_Oho_! The old 'gain her trust and then turn on her!' I should've thought of that. After all, I'm much less about the _fight_ than you are."

"If you're calling yourself clever instead, then you're _wrong_!" Maxie seethed. He violently threw on his duster, gray as ashes and smoke. _"I'm outta here!"_

The heavy wooden doors of the bar slammed behind him, and the sound echoed into the night. Archie sat, still grinning, and twirled a shot glass atop the bar using his index finger. The rest of the establishment's patrons remained frozen in their seats, staring fearfully at him.

Behind the bar, the bartender quietly excused himself to his office and made a call.

**xXxXx**

Barnabas Birch sighed and rested his bearded chin atop his steepled fingertips. May Flowers reminded him so much of a teenage Caroline. Her mother had worn pigtails, too, at that age, in order to tame her wild auburn curls. And both mother and daughter shared those striking, violet eyes. If their shared looks were that similar, then Barney could safely assume that May had inherited her fieriness from her mother as well.

"Have a seat, May, Brendan." He gestured towards the weathered wooden chairs that faced his impressively-sized desk. "Bailey!" he called out. "I think we could use some of those cookies right now."

"Not until after lunch–" Bailey Birch entered the office and nearly jumped at the sight of May. A tiny line appeared between her eyebrows; Barney knew that his wife was just as worried about their new neighbor as he was. "Of course, dear. Chocolate chip, coming right up." She disappeared for a second, and then returned with a steaming tray, set it down, and silently left the office.

Brendan dug into the cookies with ravenous delight, but May didn't touch them. "I want to know."

"Want to know… what?" Barney asked, confused.

"What was Team Aqua doing in the woods last night? What do they want from me? Are they working with Team Rocket?" Her words came out in a torrential rush. She sounded so completely confident that Brendan paused in his incessant munching, eyes trained on her flushed face. But Barney could see that her lower lip was trembling, and her hands, placed atop his desk, were balled into tight fists.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" She didn't sound in the least bit defeated, but rather, even more impatient and frustrated.

"No, May. On the contrary, I'm going to tell you everything I know. Despite your father's wishes to keep you as protected as possible, I know in my heart that this type of ignorance has no place in your life." He smiled at her kindly. "As they say, you have bigger fish to fry."

He turned to his son. "Brendan," he said sternly. "All of the information I'm about to divulge… It remains secret, yes? Your mother and May's parents already know everything, but this is about May, and therefore, it is _her_ decision that any of it be repeated when I'm through."

Brendan nodded solemnly around the cookie.

"Okay." Barney's usual amiable smile reappeared. "You want to know what Team Aqua was doing last night?" May nodded. "Well, I actually have absolutely no idea. I was actually journeying back from Petalburg City, in order to make sure that everything was in order with the Gym there for your father's arrival. In the woods, I chanced upon a clew of Wurmples. As you know, Bren, I've been studying their saliva recently. I think that it might work out as a component of a new waterproof adhesive that the Devon Corporation is working on!

"Anyway… Let's see. So I was off studying Wurmples, and I was so intent on my work that those goons ambushed me before I even knew what was happening. As you both know now, my briefcase contained your Torchic, May, and Brendan's Mudkip. Both highly valuable Pokémon. I believe they are the only ones of their kind in Greater Hoenn. And I am the only one of my kind in all of Hoenn!" His smile deepened. "You see, altogether, we three would have made a very valuable capture."

May recalled the looks of astonishment on Matt and Shelly's faces when they saw her in the clearing. "So… they weren't looking for me. It was all coincidence."

"Precisely!" Barney reached for a cookie and chewed thoughtfully. "I believe they had no knowledge of your presence in Hoenn up until last night. Yes, they are definitely interested in you, and that's where your third question comes into play. I am ninety-nine point five percent confident that Team Aqua and Team Rocket are not working in tandem. However, I believe that all kinds of information flows readily between our world's villains. Team Rocket may only have power over Kanto and Johto, but their influence still reaches all four corners of the globe… including ours."

"What about Team Magma, Dad?" Brendan asked after a long pause filled with munching and lip-smacking. "Are they looking for May, too?"

"We can only assume so, son," Barney replied gravely.

"Team Magma? What's Team Magma?" May asked apprehensively.

"The yin to Team Aqua's yang, so to speak. Just as much as Team Aqua hates the land, Team Magma hates the water. Although, I think that both factions' hatred for the other far surpasses that. The two teams have clashed on our land for nearly a decade now."

"Why do they want to do something as stupid as cover the entire world in water or land?" May wondered aloud.

Brendan laughed. "Because they're crazy!" He unabashedly started on his fifth cookie.

"You've got to watch out for the crazies, Bren," his father admonished. "They're the hardest to pin down. And their methods and goals are often the most dangerous, more dangerous than any sane person's." He turned to May and gave her a long stare.

"Have you ever heard of Groudon and Kyogre, May?" he asked.

"Who and what?"

"Yeah… What's that, Dad?"

Barney leaned back in his comfy desk chair. "Precisely." His typical smile returned as he appraised the two kids. _Teenagers,_ he internally corrected himself. _They're teenagers now._

"I have a task for the both of you. I want you to travel to Oldale Town for the day and visit the library there. Do some research, and come back and tell me what you find. And then we'll talk some more. Deal?" He held out his enormous left hand. Brendan shook it firmly, followed by an uneasy shake from May.

"Alright, I'll ask Mom–"

"Barnabas!" Bailey's shriek filled the room. "You let your boy finish an entire tray of cookies without eating his _lunch_?"

Brendan reached for May's hand. "Time to go," he whispered, and dragged her out of the room.

May wondered how the Professor ended up taking the fall for his son's voracious appetite. She would've never gotten away with that.

_It must be a youngest child thing,_ she mused.


	7. The Library

**Seven**

**The Library**

"Wow, it's hot out," Brendan huffed. Using the back of his hand, he wiped away a trail of sweat from his forehead. "Do _you_ think it's hot, May?"

May sighed. _Reduced to discussing the weather._ She glanced up at the bright blue dome of the sky; it had turned into a cloudless day, and the sun shone like an all-seeing eye from its peak.

"_I_ think we're lost," she replied.

"Never!" cried Brendan. "I have an unparalleled sense of direction!"

The two reached a fork in the road, and May smirked. "So which way do we go now, oh mighty one?"

"Oh." Brendan paused, looking stupefied. "Well…"

"Oh, indeed." May couldn't help but laugh. "I guess we should just pick one." She closed her eyes and spun around in a circle. When she opened them, her finger was pointing to the left path.

"Left it is."

They walked along in awkward silence, which forced May to realize that she had only known Brendan for about a day. So she summoned up what little knowledge she had of her neighbor and asked:

"Why have you never had a Pokémon before, Brendan?"

Brendan's hand immediately went to Mudkip's Poké Ball, stashed safely on his belt. "Um, well…"

"Trainers!" came a sudden shout. May twisted around so fast that she feared whiplash. Her nerves hadn't been quite right since last night, when Matt and Shelly had attacked.

"You're both trainers!" A boy who must've been even younger than Max stepped out onto the path from beyond the treeline. "And that means you have Pokémon!" He grinned widely. "Want to battle? I just caught a Zigzagoon, and I'm ready to start training!" He held his only Poké Ball high in the air like a prized trophy.

Brendan studied the young boy thoughtfully. "I don't know, kid. We're on a very important top secret mission right now. Battling isn't a part of it."

May had to smile at the boy. He actually reminded her a lot of her brother. "What's your name?"

"A.J.'s the name, battling's the game!"

"Where are you from?"

He pointed up the ridge and into the trees. "Oldale Town."

"Alright, A.J. I'll battle you. But if I win, you will escort my friend and me safely to Oldale. Deal?" She held out her hand.

"Deal!" He shook it eagerly. "And now we begin!"

"Go! Zigzagoon!"

"I choose you, Torchic!"

Red light flashed brightly under the burning sun. The Zigzagoon growled menacingly, but May knew, since her family kept a Zigzagoon as a house pet, that it was more bark than bite.

_Hey, May,_ chirped Torchic inside of her head. _What's going on?_

_Time to battle, Torchic. We need to win this one if we ever want to get to Oldale Town._

_That's no problem. This is a walk in the park compared to a Team Aqua member!_

_Don't get cocky, _she replied. She tried to remember all of the things that her father had taught to her over the years about battling. One of them struck her almost immediately.

She decided to use spoken communication for this battle instead of her mind-communication. It seemed like too many people in Hoenn already knew of her special ability; A.J. didn't need to be added to that list.

"Torchic! Use Growl!"

"Zigzagoon! Use Tackle!"

_Hhhhhh! _Torchic fell to the grass-covered ground, but immediately got back up and fluffed its feathers in what seemed to be an irritated manner. Then it let out a low growl that vibrated through the forest air.

"Remember, May," her father had said. "Using your first move to attack is all well and good, but if you're unsure of the skill level of your opponent, weakening it with a status strike is sometimes a great choice."

"Torchic! Scratch!"

"Zigzagoon! Tackle!"

This time, Torchic struck first, and he struck hard. The Zigzagoon went flying. May grinned, adrenaline pumping through her veins. _Her father had been right!_

"Zigzagoon! Tackle!" shouted A.J. "Use Tackle!" The Zigzagoon weakly got to its furry feet, but then fell right back down again.

_I think it's fainted, _Torchic remarked.

"Did I… lose?" A.J. frowned. "I can't believe I lost my first battle." He looked down at the ground dejectedly.

Brendan, who had been following the battle closely, walked towards the young boy and knelt at his feet, so that they were at eye level with each other.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on A.J.'s skinny shoulder. "You did really well for your first try. And May," he pointed at her, "She's already battled before. She knows her Torchic much better than you know your Zigzagoon… right now, at least. But if you continue to train, I think you'll find that battling will become easier, because you'll have a much stronger relationship with your Pokémon, and it'll be much more experienced as well." He smiled at the boy. "Keep it up, and I'm positive that you'll make an amazing trainer!"

A.J. looked over at May, but he was no longer frowning. "Wow, he's right! And you're a really good trainer!"

May could feel heat creeping up her neck and cheeks. "Ah, well… Thank you! I'm sorry that I made your Pokémon faint…" she finished awkwardly. Beating a little kid had made her feel a little weird.

"No problem!" A.J. scooped up Zigzagoon in his arms and stroked its furry head. It opened its eyes blearily and barked at him weakly. "I've gotta fulfill my promise and take you into town. There's a Pokémon Center there, so we can rest for a bit." He beckoned them towards the fork in the path, and then turned down the right side instead of the left.

May shot Brendan a pointed look. "Where's your unparalleled sense of direction now?"

Brendan just rolled his eyes and dusted off grass from his knees. "Let's just get to the library, okay?" He stalked off into the forest after A.J.

May smiled at his back. She remembered his conversation with the young boy, and realized that, despite his somewhat reckless manner, he was actually very kind and caring.

_I guess I'm getting to know you better._

**xXxXx**

Oldale Town resembled Littleroot greatly, except it had a Pokémon Center and a Poké Mart. There was also a cluster of small houses, but May didn't see a library anywhere.

"Excuse me," she called over the counter at the Pokémon Center. "Where is the Oldale library?"

A woman with flaming red hair and a kindly demeanor regarded her. "A library?" She paused to think. "Oh! You must be looking for Old Man Dink!" She pointed out the frosted glass doors of the building. "He lives up the lane, almost towards the edge of town." She giggled. "He's a bit of a loner, actually. But don't take his gruffness _too_ seriously. He's got a big heart."

She turned back towards her work behind the counter, where Zigzagoon's Poké Ball shimmered with blue light in a tray below a plasma flatscreen.

Brendan and A.J. sat together on a brightly-colored couch near the doorway. Brendan seemed to be enjoying the air conditioning, so when May told him where they were going, he was rather reluctant to travel back outdoors.

"Can't we just stay a little longer?"

May punched him lightly on the arm. "Nope. We have a very important top secret mission, remember?"

A.J. looked up at her. "Where're you going?"

"We need to go to… Old Man Dink's house." She felt funny saying it. "He has something that we need."

A.J. stood up brightly. "I'll take you there!" He seemed to have completely gotten over his loss earlier, and May was pleased to see that. "It's not far!"

Nurse Joy handed him his Poké Ball from behind the counter, and he scooped it up impatiently and dashed towards the doors. "C'mon, May, Brendan!"

Brendan sighed and slowly unfolded from the couch. "I hope this walk is quick. I think I'm gonna melt."

**xXxXx**

A.J. left them at the door of the most ramshackle house that May had ever seen. Nurse Joy had said that Old Man Dink lived on the edge of town, but May thought it was more like the beginning of the forest. It was darker and cooler, and the trees were even taller than the ones around Littleroot.

"See you guys around!" A.J. shouted behind as he ran back towards town. "Don't let him scare you!"

May shuddered, faced the doorway, and knocked. The door swung open without resistance, leading into a shadowy interior.

A rickety old voice spoke out of the gloom. "Hello, children."

Both May and Brendan jumped. "Um, hello," Brendan tried, looking at May for help. She could only shrug. "Um. We're looking for Old Man Dink?"

"And you must be looking for my library." The door swung wider. "Come in, come in. Don't be shy."

The lights suddenly flicked on, and a bent-over old man appeared. He was the oldest person that May had ever seen, covered in liver spots and wiry white hairs. He had rheumy eyes, twisted hands with boney fingers, and an imposing-looking cane. May wondered if he might hit them with it.

"I'm Old Man Dink. Welcome to the Library of Legends."

May's jaw dropped. The inside of his house was covered entirely in bookshelves, which were covered in more books than she had collectively seen in her lifetime.

_How were they supposed to find one about Groudon and Kyogre?_


	8. The Legend

**Eight**

**The Legend**

"Welcome to the Library of Legends."

Old Man Dink turned towards the house, not caring enough to check and see if May and Brendan were following him. May cautiously began to follow suit, but Brendan caught her by the elbow and stopped her in her tracks.

"Do you think it's safe in there?" he whispered, his breath a warm tickle on the back of her neck.

May slipped out from his grasp and turned to look at him. "Are you actually serious? That old man? He can't be a day younger than ninety-five!"

He just stared back at her, eyes wide and a slow blush creeping up his ears.

"Oh, boy." She grabbed Brendan's hand and pulled him roughly through the darkened doorway after Old Man Dink. Once inside, however, she quickly abandoned this mission as she craned her neck upwards and turned in a slow, awestruck circle. It was the largest collection of books that she had ever seen.

Some were extremely old and dusty, and some were rather new and glossy, covered in crisp covers and bright colors. Heavy tomes embossed with ancient runes stood beside flimsy paperbacks. Everywhere, books, books and more books – stacks and piles and mountains of paper and ink.

The bookshelves were just as mismatched. Some looked like they would belong in a museum, with depictions of trees and flowers carved into their sides, and others looked like ordinary wooden shelves that could belong to a house or a school. In the center of the room, a sagging, ancient leather couch faced the door, and behind it was a very old and heavy desk. It was all so amazing, May could only stare. She would've never guessed that the sorry state of Old Man Dink's home could hide this kind of wonder.

Brendan stopped next to her. "Wow, this may be the happiest I've ever seen you!"

The moment was broken, and she glared at him. "I like to read, okay?"

He shrugged, and then turned back to gazing up at the bookshelves. "Hey, it's cool, don't get defensive. It's just, you look so..." He rubbed his chin in thought.

"I have a hard time around people," May explained quietly. "Books were always better friends to me." As soon as she said so, she wanted to bite back her words. She wasn't at all sure why she was telling him such personal information – she barely knew him.

Instead of laughing at her, though, Brendan just smiled his usual crooked grin. "I think I understand. After all, I have picked up a book or two in my time. It wasn't so bad." On that note, he moved away to peruse the shelves, hand still tucked to his chin and brows furrowed.

"What do you think of my library, young lady?"

May nearly jumped out of her skin. Heart pounding and pulse racing, she turned to see Old Man Dink standing at her elbow, his balding head barely reaching her shoulder. He had put on an enormous pair of glasses, and his pale eyes seemed even bigger and brighter underneath them.

"Ah, well..." She didn't have anything to say in response to his question. May had never quite known how to describe her love of books, and this same speechlessness seemed to apply to Old Man Dink's library. "It's just so…" She gestured aimlessly with her hands, trying to convey an unsaid point.

"Just the response I like to hear!" the old man cried with sudden enthusiasm. "Now come!" He beckoned towards her imperiously as he stooped across the room towards the heavy old desk.

May stared after him, utterly confused and unsure of herself.

Old Man Dink turned to look at her over his bony, sloped shoulder. "Did you hear me? I hope you did, young lady. You're much younger than I am."

May pinched the bridge of her nose in order to conceal a noise that was half frustration and half laughter, and followed him to the desk.

It was very intriguing in that way that furniture can sometimes be. It had numerous drawers and knobs and was covered in scratches and dents, even more books, papers, and a heavy-looking fountain pen.

The thing that caught May's eye the most, however, was a paper, yellowed with age and spread out on the desk's dark wooden surface. It seemed to have been tightly rolled into itself up until now, because its furled edges were held down by a heavy old book on either end.

The images painted upon the paper in a swirl of oil colors were beautiful, yet terrible. The paper, or rather, scroll, had a border that consisted of some runic language that she had never seen before, despite her voracious reading and her school years. The letters twisted and curled around each other, a text of dancing strokes and twirling lines. The pictures, created by rich, vivid inks depicted a most frightening scene. It was a scene of the world at war with itself, land and water literally crashing together beneath a burning, torn sky. And in the middle of this cataclysmic war –

"Kyogre and Groudon," explained Old Man Dink in a quiet, almost reverent voice. May started from her reverie. She had been so absorbed by the painting that she had forgotten that he was there.

"See here, Mabel Flowers," he continued, which surprised May greatly, because she had never mentioned her name. "This painting shows a most terrible war, most terrible because it once _was_.

"Kyogre, lord of the seas, woke in the deep and emerged from the depths, bringing with it great waves and terrifying storms, all of an enormous and deadly power. And Groudon, master of land, met it with equal force and released the mountains from their very roots. Mudslides and volcanoes and fires swept the world into near devastation.

"In the aftermath of this enormous display of power, the conflict subsided, and the two withdrew back into the Earth. Legend says that Kyogre now slumbers at the bottom of an impenetrable ocean trench, and Groudon deep beneath the Earth in a chamber of rocky magma."

May inspected the painted scroll even more closely. The images of the swelling seas and rolling lands now seemed downright disturbing to her. What would happen if these creatures awoke in modern times? The destruction that they could wreak together might very well end life as the world knew it!

"So, why did they stop fighting?"

May hadn't noticed Brendan come up behind her. Now he, too, was inspecting the painting with great interest, his wide green eyes roaming every which way across it. In his hands he held a stack of at least ten books.

"What are you doing with all those books?" May asked.

"Well, I plan to read them. That's about all you can do with books, right?"

"Boy, do you plan to remove a dozen-odd books from my collection without consulting me first?" Old Man Dink raised his cane as he said this, and May wondered if her earlier fear was about to become reality.

"Um, well..." Brendan hugged the books closer to his chest like a makeshift shield.

Suddenly, an enormous smile lit up Old Man Dink's sagging face. "Good. I'd like that. You kids these days, with your Walkmans and cellular phones." May coughed in order to hide a snort. "It'd do you good to read a bit." The old man paused then, his eyes thoughtful.

"Take good care of them, boy. If you lose those, well…" He chuckled, tapped his cane against his heel, and turned around. "I know where to find you, Brendan Birch." With that, Old Man Dink disappeared into the recesses of the house.

Brendan exhaled a slow, long breath. "Phew." He looked after Old Man Dink. "I thought he was gonna let me have it!"

"I think that was a dismissal," May stated slowly. She stared off into the house, lost in thought.

"Aw, man, I don't wanna leave! I could spend loads of time in here! This is the coolest!" His hand hovered lightly over the painted scroll, and May wondered if he found it just as frightening as she did.

"Oh, _really_?" she asked with a hint of derision. "And you didn't even want to come here, remember?"

He didn't say anything, just grinned at her over the top of his stack of books. He stepped towards the door, and the stack quavered perilously.

"Here." May swooped in and scooped up a few of the books. "I'll take a couple of them for you." She glanced over the titles; there was a book about raising Pokémon, and an encyclopedia of all the Poké Balls ever created.

"I want to bring them back for my dad," Brendan explained. "I think he'd find them interesting."

The top volume interested _her_. It was a thick leather tome embossed with golden letters that spelled out "Legends of Time and Space." She wondered if Brendan had also taken a few of the books in order to learn more about Kyogre and Groudon. She knew that there was more to their story than Old Man Dink let on.

They marched out of the library, balancing their book stacks carefully, and Brendan kicked the door shut behind him with a loud bang. In contrast, the surrounding forest land was absolutely silent, as if the trees themselves knew that it was common practice to keep quiet in a library.

Once outside, May took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. The images of the painted scroll seemed to burn behind her eyelids.

_What did it all mean? Why had Professor Birch sent them?_

_And why did she suddenly feel so apprehensive?_

All of the sudden, the forest seemed too dark, too close, too wild. As if it was listening in on her thoughts and judging her actions.

"We should get back." She eyed the trees nervously, although she knew that there was nothing to be afraid of. "I want to talk to your dad."

"Don't you always," Brendan muttered glumly. "You might as well move in." They started off down the path to Oldale Town, their book stacks teetering dangerously in their hands.

"You know what's weird?" Brendan said suddenly, and May, in all her recently manifested skittishness, nearly dropped her books.

"Hmmm?"

"He never answered my question. Why did they stop fighting, anyway? Kyogre and Groudon?"

May wrinkled her nose. "I don't know… I guess I'm just more interested in figuring out why your dad sent us all the way out here instead of just telling us about them."

"Dads." Brendan shook his head in mock disgust. "Besides, he might've finished telling me if you hadn't interrupted…" He continued on, but May wasn't listening. She could only let out a sigh of relief as Oldale Town came into view over a nearby ridge.

_We're safe now._

**xXxXx**

In the trees above, a pair of dark eyes gleamed.

"It's beginning. I can feel it."


	9. The Next Chapter

**Nine**

**The Next Chapter**

The sun had set by the time May and Brendan reached Littleroot Town. After checking in with her parents (who hadn't exactly been happy that she had left home with only Brendan, seeing as she had been nearly kidnapped the night before), they quickly made their way to Brendan's house in order to talk with Professor Birch. Bailey made them a delicious dinner of various pasta dishes, with all kinds of sauces to choose from. After May had loaded her plate with bowties and pesto sauce, she walked down the hallway to the Professor's office and sat with Brendan in front of the desk.

"And how is that old coot?" May snorted into her pasta at Professor Birch's choice of descriptor. "Still got that wicked cane?"

"Yeah. I was scared he was fixing to hit Brendan over the head with it."

"Typical," responded the Professor, ruffling his son's hair. "Bren could probably use a good whack over the head, anyway. Maybe it would knock a bit of common sense into him."

"Gee, _thanks_," Brendan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He pushed his father away and gave May a significant look. "We have some stuff to tell you, Dad. Well, May does, anyway."

Barnabas Birch folded his hands on top of his desk and looked expectantly at her.

"Old Man Dink told us the story of Kyogre and Groudon. He showed me this painted scroll-"

"The Clash of Lands and Seas? A very famous piece of artwork! I didn't know that it had come into his possession."

"It was covered in these strange letters," May continued. "I couldn't understand them."

"It's a very old alphabet, perhaps as old as Pokemon themselves. After all, it was written by them! It's the language of the Unknown. There are twenty-six of them, and each corresponds to a letter of our own. I'm sure the scroll was written in the Unknown alphabet; most old documents are. Anyway, Unknown are very, very rare. I don't believe that any of them even inhabit our continent." Professor Birch smiled in thought. "I'd love to see one someday…"

"Dad, stop interrupting!"

"Okay, okay. May, continue, please."

"So, he had me look at the scroll, and then he told me the story of the war," May explained.

"What did you think of it?" Professor Birch's stare seemed to deepen.

"Well," May hesitated. She looked down into her lap, not sure of what to say. "I guess… It was terrifying. If something like that happened today…"

Professor Birch nodded. "It would be absolutely catastrophic, wouldn't it?"

"Dad, did those Pokemon really exist?" Brendan's eyes were alight with curiosity as he looked to his father.

"Not to be cliche, but once upon a time, yes, they did." The Pokemon Professor paused, looking conflicted. He shook his head, his shaggy hair rustling slightly. "And they still do, but where, nobody knows."

"So why did you send us to find out about them? What do they have to do with me?"

"Remember our discussion this morning, kids? The people that you met in the woods last night are members of Team Aqua. Like Team Rocket, they're dangerous to people and Pokemon alike. But unlike Team Rocket, whose main goal is to steal rare Pokemon away from their trainers and from the wild, Team Aqua is intently focused upon covering our world entirely in water."

"But that's pretty stupid," Brendan commented. "We wouldn't be able to survive."

"Exactly," the Professor said grimly. "And that's where you come in, May."

"What?" May asked, shocked. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Unfortunately, not only does Team Rocket know of your gift, but it seems as if Team Aqua has gotten wind of your special ability. And now that they've met you, they've confirmed that you truly exist."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because you could greatly aid them in their mission. You remember the scenes in the painting that Old Man Dink showed you? They're very hard to forget, of course. Well, I'll say it again. Once upon a time, Kyogre managed to flood the planet. Acquiring Kyogre in the present day could very well help Team Aqua to succeed."

"You can't acquire a legendary Pokemon," May responded angrily, thinking back to the shrine of Moltres on Fire Island. "It just doesn't work that way. They're called legendary for a reason; they're legends, and therefore, they should be respected. They're not normal Pokemon, who can be caught and used in battle."

"Exactly right, but then again, Archibald Mudd doesn't seem to possess your brand of common sense… Make that the entire world's common sense."

"Who is Archibald Mudd?" Brendan piped up.

"The leader of Team Aqua. I met him once, in Slateport City. Bailey and I were about to leave on a cruise. It was our honeymoon-"

"C'mon, Dad, you're not answering my question."

"Slateport City is famous for its shipbuilders, and you can most likely guess that Archie was quite fond of all things water. Boats were no exception. The point is, back when Team Aqua had gotten its start, he and a few of his cronies held up the S.S. Tidal, Hoenn's largest cargo ship. They seemed to think that it was carrying something important, but in reality, it was just ferrying food and a few vacationers towards some remote spots like Faraway Island and Southern Island. You know, places that don't receive a lot of traffic because they're so uninhabited. Bit of a nasty shock for Archie. He and other Aqua members were arrested on multiple charges, but they all escaped.

"And he's been a wanted man ever since." Professor Birch sighed. "That's the story."

May stared at the Professor, utterly confused. "So… again, what does any of this have to do with _me_?"

"The thing is, May," he explained, stroking his beard, "Your father and I, along with Jennifer Star, the chief of Hoenn's police force, have a bit of a theory concerning Archie's motives. He was, and still is, we believe, looking for an ancient artifact called the Red Orb."

"That's mentioned in this book!" Brendan exclaimed, holding up _Legends of Space and Time_. "I've only read a bit of it so far, but the part about Kyogre and Groudon really interested me, and-" He excitedly flipped through the book's pages. "Look!"

"That's it, son," the Professor responded, sounding impressed. He lightly touched the image of what could only have been the Red Orb, an enormous glass sphere filled with swirling gases of fiery color. "The Red Orb. It's the key to reawakening Kyogre."

"So they want to find it in order to achieve their goals," May mused. "I hate to keep asking this, but what does-"

"I've got your answer, May. The Red Orb awakens Kyogre, but it doesn't necessarily do much else. If Team Aqua really wants to harness Kyogre's powers in order to flood the world, they'll need to gain complete control of it. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to succeed."

It all hit her in the face at once, and suddenly, May felt as if she couldn't breathe. "Oh…"

Professor Birch nodded gently. "They need you and your gift if they have any hope of completing their foolish mission. And they will stop at absolutely nothing to obtain you if it means that they can finally sink us all."

**xXxXx**

"May. May, sweetie."

"_Mmmph_. Five more minutes."

"May, your father wishes to speak with you, darling-"

"Get up, May! Get _up_!"

"Get off, Max!" May shrieked, trying to shove her younger brother off of her bed. She blinked blearily up at her mother. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly seven."

"_Urnghhhhh_," May groaned, falling back on her pillows in defeat.

**xXxXx**

An hour later, May and Brendan sat together pulling apart a stalk of grapes on the Flowers' back porch. "_Mmmmmf_," Brendan mumbled as he chewed. "These are _good_."

"I don't think I'm ever going to be let out of the house again," May commented dejectedly, wiping juice of her chin with the back of her hand. She watched Torchic and Mudkip sniffing around their new environment. She and Brendan had decided that it was a good idea to give their new Pokemon some fresh air.

"Not to get all angsty or anything, but it really _does_ seem like the whole world's out to get me."

"Yeah, probably."

"You're not helping." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared off into the forest. She wondered if anyone was still hiding in there, and then shivered, because she was pretty sure that there were.

Currently, the Flowers and Birch parents were in deep discussion. After breakfast, May had given her parents the complete story- the trip to the library the day before, the information that she and Brendan had discovered, and her part in Professor Birch's speculations. Norman and Caroline had gone from uptight to worried to angry in a matter of minutes, especially concerning the Professor. Secretly, though, May was happy that she had gone to Brendan's dad- he seemed much more willing than her own parents to tell her the complete truth.

"Team Rocket was looking for me. So we moved back here, even though I still think that that was a bone-headed decision, considering that they knew we lived here before and-"

"Or because of that thing," Brendan interrupted.

May glared at him. "Excuse me? 'That thing?' What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

He looked up from the grapes at her and froze beneath her stare. "I meant, uh... What? What thing? Jeez, I never know what I'm talking about-"

"I already knew that," she hissed.

"Why are you so worked up over this-"

"Do you know or not!" The shout rang out through the morning air.

Brendan sighed, not quite looking at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."

May deflated like a tired balloon. "Oh, _great_." She started to get up to go, somewhere, she didn't know where, as long as she didn't have to look at him-

"No. Sit." Brendan pulled her back down next to him. "Please," he added hastily.

"How'd you find out?" she asked miserably. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared down at the ground.

_May, is everything all right? _Torchic had paused at her feet, and his big black eyes seemed to be full of concern.

_Yeah. It's fine. _She gave him a thin smile. _Thanks for asking._

In response, he hopped up into her lap and made himself at home before settling down and closing his eyes. The warmth that emanated from his tiny fuzzy body somehow calmed her down.

"Max mentioned something, and I remember my father saying a few things about it as well. I mean, it wasn't anyone's fault in particular-"

"You know what? Don't worry about it." She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry that I shouted."

"It's fine." He seemed surprised by her rapid turnaround. He reached down to stroke Mudkip. "You know, I honestly don't think that you should be blamed for any of it. How were you supposed to know any better? You were younger at the time. And everyone makes mistakes."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but old scars don't heal so quickly," she whispered. "It's hard."

"May, can I tell you something?"

"Go for it."

"You've asked me twice now why I've never had my own Pokemon before. And I never gave you an answer."

"Oh, no, Brendan, you don't have to tell me that if it's too personal-"

"No, it's really okay. It's actually not even anything to do with me. I was just sort of embarrassed, but, well… It's because, when my parents gave my older brother his first Pokemon, around when he was ten, he was extremely reckless. He went looking for battles and basically asking for trouble. He never meant to hurt her, but his Pokemon was pretty worn out by the time he reached our age.

"So my parents sent him off to school in Rustboro. There's a program there that helps kids practice and hone their skills. By the time I came of age, however, they were sort of hesitant to give me my own Pokemon. They said I had to prove myself first."

"Wow. That… that sucks."

"No, it's really fine. Mudkip's more than I could have hoped for. At first, I really resented Blake. But I think waiting for a Pokemon has made me more responsible and patient. And I think Blake also came off better for it. Now he has his job with Devon, and he's really close with his Sceptile. Things happen for a reason, you know?"

"Yeah… they do, I guess," she answered slowly.

But as she remembered that fateful day years ago, the one that Brendan had found out about, she knew that this couldn't possibly be true.

**xXxXx**

May sat next to Max at the dinner table, slurping down her bowl of creamy tomato soup. Across from them, her parents discussed usual adult stuff- the weather, travel arrangements, and the possibility of buying a new living room couch, because the current one "just didn't go."

"Oh, and May," her father began casually. "Your mother and I wanted to talk to you."

"_Mmmmm_?" She finished the last of the soup and regarded her parents suspiciously.

"I've decided to take you with me to Petalburg tomorrow. My tenure at the Gym begins then, and, well… I'd like you to see a bit of the continent, now that we're here."

May's mouth dropped open. _They were letting her leave Littleroot, even after everything that had happened?_ "What in the world-"

"What about me?" Max protested. "I want to go, too! I don't want to stay here with Mom-"

"Gee, thanks, dear," snorted Caroline, grabbing some of the dirty dishes off the table and transporting them to the sink.

"Max, you need to attend school in Oldale Town. For at least a few more years, anyway. Then we'll talk, I promise," Norman amended. He got up to help his wife with the dishes, while Max sat staring at his back. May laughed, picturing clouds of hot air billowing from her little brother's ears.

She put an arm around his small shoulders. "It's okay, Max. I'm sure you'll get out a bit, too."

"You'll stay with Grandpa and Grandma for a few nights there," Norman called over his shoulder, "And then we'll make a decision about what to do from there."

_A decision? What did _that _mean?_


	10. The Encounter

**Ten**

**The Encounter**

"Oh, oh, oh!" Grandma Flowers clutched her hands to her chest, and for a terrified second, May feared that she might be having a heart attack. "Mabel! My baby! You've gotten so _tall_!"

May smiled as her tiny grandmother folded her into a tight embrace. "Well, I _am_ seven years older. It's only natural that I grew."

Grandma held her arm's length and appraised her. "You look just like your mother. How beautiful."

"Oh, stop, Grandma." May's face felt like it was on fire. "Here, I want to see Grandpa."

"Coming right up!" Her grandfather entered the living room and bowed, his dark eyes gleaming. "Stanley Flowers, at your service, my dearest granddaughter!" He turned to his son, hovering uncertainly in the doorway. "Norman, why ever did you steal our beloved grandchildren away from us for all those years? What if we had _died_?"

"C'mon, Dad, stop being so morbid." Norman put a solid hand on his mother's frail shoulders. "Let's settle May in, and then we'll talk."

"Yes!" May's grandmother clapped her hands together. "And I've thrown together a lovely fruit salad." Her smile was as wide as a jack-o-lantern's as she grinned up at May. "I remember how much you love watermelon."

**xXxXx**

Brendan sat on his steps, ignoring one of Old Man Dink's books that he had attempted to start reading an hour ago, and stared across the road at the Flowers's house. Caroline was outside watering the shrubs. It was a beautiful summer evening, but there was a hint of chill in the air. Fall was coming, but Hoenn never saw a true winter. The warm tropical currents that beat up against the continent's rocky shoreline saw to that.

For some strange reason, he was feeling incredibly lonely. Ever since May had left a few days ago, it felt as if a part of him was missing. They had become friends so quickly! It seemed as if he had already known her forever.

A shadow fell over him, and he jolted out of his reverie. His sudden movement caused the heavy book to slip from his lap and into the soil of the planting bed.

"Excuse me, young sir, but I'm a bit lost. Could I possibly ask you for directions?"

The man was tall and muscular, and he wore dark jeans and a red hoodie emblazoned with a blocky M. His face was lost in the shadow of his hood, but the gleam of his golden eyes was still visible. Brendan subconsciously frowned, automatically suspicious.

_This guy is definitely not from around here._

"Yeah, sure," he answered uncertainly. "Although the town's pretty small. You can't get really lost around these parts."

"I'm simply looking for an address. I wanted to pay a house call with an old friend," the man explained, his smile growing wider. There was something almost… _feral_ about that smile, Brendan decided.

He now felt loathe to give directions, even though there was nothing outwardly wrong about the man. His mother's lessons about politeness and hospitality, deeply ingrained in him from a very young age, decided for him. "Sure, what's the address?"

"18 Sasebo Street."

Brendan felt the pit in his stomach expand rapidly. _That was May's house! What if this guy was looking for her, too, just like Team Aqua had? He couldn't let that happen!_

"Oh, you must be looking for my family, then," he lied. It was an easy lie; most of the houses in town were newly refurbished, and the Home Owner's Association hadn't gotten around to relabeling them with their street numbers yet.

"Really? Surname Flowers?"

"Yes, that's me! Max Flowers!"

"How interesting! We share a name." The man's smile grew wider.

"Your name is Max, too?"

"Maximilian, to be exact. Maximilian Mudd. But you can call me Maxie, young sir. I much prefer Maxie. It has such a nice ring to it, don't you think? Maxie Mudd?"

Privately, Brendan thought that it sounded like a girl pop star's name, but he decided that that wasn't the time to say it. "Okay… Maxie."

"Now, Max, I'd like to speak to your father. Is Norman around?"

"Yeah, he should be. Let me go get him." There was no way that Max was bringing this guy into the house, regardless of any kind of hospitality. And besides, he needed to get his dad in on the lie before it was too late.

"Wait here!" he shouted over his shoulder.

**xXxXx**

"C'mon, Katherine, let's get this show on the road! We're responsible for showing the girl around!"

"Alright, alright, you big nag! I just need to decide which sunscreen will be the best at protecting my wrinkly elderly skin! Do you _want_ me to get skin cancer, Stan?"

May held back an eye roll as she sat on her grandparents' living room couch, waiting for them to finish packing up the car for their beach day. She was excited to see the ocean, but she wasn't sure if, at this rate, she'd ever get there.

"Let's go, May," he grandfather said with a smile. He clapped a hand to her shoulder. "Let's get down to the beach!"

**xXxXx**

"Dad!" Brendan whispered in his father's ear. Professor Birch had fallen asleep at his desk, and his papers were presently receiving a flood of drool. "Dad!"

"_Um_. Five more… minutes…"

"Dad! Dad!" Brendan shook his shoulders roughly. "There's no time to waste! There's a guy at the front door, and I'm pretty sure he's looking for May!"

"_Hungh_!" Barney Birch sat up with a start. He scrubbed his mouth of drool using his shirtsleeve and gave Brendan a good long stare. "You're not just messing with me, are you?"

"No, no, I swear! He asked me to point him to the Flowers's house, and I lied and told him that our house was their house and-"

"Say no more." Professor Birch stood up and threw off his lab coat. "You know, son, I almost went to acting school before I decided that being a Pokémon Professor was probably a bit more lucrative, and a whole lot better for picking up the chicks." He thumped his fist against his chest and looked down at his son with a smile.

"Let's do this… Max."

Brendan sighed with relief.

**xXxXx**

"Wow… I guess this was worth the wait of you picking the right sunscreen, Grandma." May breathed in the fresh seaside air with a smile. "It's so beautiful here!"

Her grandmother _humphed_ through her nose. "Well, I'm glad Stan's gotten to you, child. Have you grown up with that brand of impatience?"

May frowned until she realized that her grandmother was joking. "I guess so, although my mom's pretty tenacious as well."

Grandma Flowers clasped her granddaughter's hand tight in her own and squeezed. "Oh, how I missed you, dear child. Now, let's go set up our towel-"

"Excuse me, young lady, but I'm a bit lost. Could I possibly ask you for directions?"


	11. The Brothers

**Eleven**

**The Brothers**

"Excuse me, young lady, but I'm a bit lost. Could I possibly ask you for directions?"

Despite the heat of the burning summer sun on her back and the blazing beach sands on her feet, May couldn't help but shiver as she looked up at the man who had questioned her. There was something about him that seemed so familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. _Was it the eyes as dark and mysterious as a bottomless ocean trench? The pointed moustache accompanied by a chinstrap beard? Who wears a pitch-black suit to the beach, anyway? Especially on a day like this-_

May's eyes widened. The white A. It was right there, dangling from a chain around his neck.

Team Aqua.

_And this guy _has_ to be Archie, their leader,_ May thought, remembering Professor Birch's story.

She squeezed her grandmother's pruned hand, hoping against hope that she would keep quiet about her identity. If Archie found out who she was, he might try to take her on the spot.

"Sorry, I'm not from around here… Maybe you could ask them?" She pointed out no one in particular. Sunbathers were spreading out towels on the white-hot sands, three little boys were playing keep away with a brightly striped beach ball, and a father splashed in the low-tide waves with his laughing daughter in hand. _How had he found her? And how could she try to run away? _

_Would he hurt all of these innocent people if she did?_

"Sir, what's your business with my granddaughter, anyhow?" Grandpa Flowers came to stand on May's other side. Together, her grandparents formed a protective barrier around her.

"As I said before, old man, I'm just looking for directions!"

"Don't talk to my grandfather like that!"

"May!"

She whirled around. There was her father, running down the wooden boardwalk that crossed the sand. "May!"

Archie's eyes narrowed. "Ah. I was correct."

"What are you even talking about?" May asked, her voice dripping with acid. "Leave my family alone!" she added angrily.

"Wouldn't your daddy, Petalburg's famous Gym Leader, be able to take care of himself?"

"That's it!" May shouted. "I'm tired of you and your goons! You show up in the middle of a dark forest, knock my neighbor unconscious and try to steal his stuff, and then you try to _kidnap_ me! You're _ridiculous_!"

The world went absolutely quiet as the beachgoers, open-mouthed and staring, turned their attention towards May and Archie. But May only had eyes for Team Aqua's leader. If he was out to capture her, well…

She wasn't about to give him the chance.

"May, stop!" Her father came puffing up next to her. He put his hands to his knees and drew in a few quick pants, then stood up and wiped his forehead off on his sleeve. May had never seen him look so frazzled, except for the time she had tried making s'mores in the microwave. It had taken half a day to scrape all of the burnt marshmallows off the walls of the kitchen.

"I can handle this. Mom, Dad… go back to Petalburg. Take May with her and keep her inside-"

May closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then squared her shoulders and brushed past her father until she and Archie were face to face. "No, Dad.

"This is my fight."

Archie smiled cruelly. "You asked for it, kid." He forcefully grabbed a PokéBall off his belt and threw it into the air. It expanded in a flash of red light and-

"Go! Carvanha!"

"Torchic! I choose you!"

**xXxXx**

"Sorry to drop by on such short notice." The stranger, Maxie, casually sipped his coffee, keeping an eye on Professor Birch the entire time.

"It's no problem," the Professor said stiffly, a slight frown on his normally cheerful face. "We're used to company."

Maxie smiled, but there was nothing nice about it. "Unfortunately, I have a bit of a bone to pick with you… Barnabas Birch."

Brendan's eyes widened. _How had he figured it out so quickly?_

"Excuse me?" His father injected just the right amount of disbelief with his surprise at the statement. "Barney Birch is my neighbor. He lives across the street. Were you looking to see him instead?"

"Give it up, Birch. You can't fool me. We ran into each other before. You don't remember?"

Brendan watched his father's eyes narrow in thought. "Ah," he said quietly. "You were there that day, too."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Remember how I told you and May the story of my honeymoon?"

Brendan nodded. "Your cruise ship was held up by Team Aqua. They were looking for something, but it wasn't on the boat. Then, before they could be arrested, they escaped."

Maxie snorted. "Typical. My brother's a slippery fellow. But that's not all there is to the story-"

"You and Archie are _brothers_?"

Maxie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. Twins. It's great."

"Sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm." He frowned. "To finish the story, my _friends_ and I… well, we tried to apprehend the Aqua members. We chased them down the Seaside Cycling Road, which connects Slateport to Mauville. We nearly caught up with them, but there was a submersible waiting for them. They disappeared into the deep water underneath the road… and that was the last I saw of my brother. It's been eighteen years, and I still don't know where he went."

"Wow…" For some reason, Maxie's story made Brendan feel a bit more sympathetic towards the strange man. Maybe it was because he had his own brother, and they were good friends as well.

"Anyway, Birch, I need your help. You see… My goal is to protect Mabel Flowers from my brother at all costs. He dearly wants to use her to further Aqua's nefarious interests, and I dearly want to stop him. She could give us both of those things. It's absolutely vital that I talk to her, preferably soon."

Professor Birch stood up, stroking his chin. "Interesting. I'll see what I can do."

But he remembered the telephone call he had received days before and knew that Maxie was lying about at least one thing- the brothers had seen each other just a short while ago.

_What in the world is Maxie up to?_

**xXxXx**

"Torchic, use Scratch!"

"Carvanha, Aqua Jet!"

_Oh, no. A water move!_ May thought wildly.

_It's okay, May. I've got this._ She could hear the determination in Torchic's thoughts as he jumped towards Archie's Pokémon-

_Slam!_ The burst of water knocked Torchic straight out of the air.

_Torchic!_ May screamed. _Torchic!_ She rushed to his side and stroked his fiery feathers, desperately hoping that he was all right.

_May…_ her Pokémon whispered blearily. _I think… _

"You made that a little too easy, kid. Now, I think it's time I told you that you're coming with me-"

"Vigoroth! Fury Swipes!"

There was a steely clash of razor-sharp claws on plated scales, and Carvanha fell from the sky.

Archie's face turned a nice shade of maroon as he recalled his Pokémon. "Well played, Norman," he hissed through clenched teeth. "But just you wait-"

"Leave my family alone!" Stanley Flowers punched Team Aqua's leader right across the face. The beachgoers unfroze and cheered for their new hero.

Archie, now sprawled out on the beach, spit out a mouthful of sand. "You crazy old man!" He reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out a cell phone, on which he pressed one of the buttons. "You better watch it!"

"No, _you_ better watch it. I'm calling Officer Jenny-"

"Archie!" a voice screamed across the water. May looked up and gasped. There was Shelley on top of a jet ski, her flaming red curls flying in the breeze. "Let's go!"

"Too late, Norman. My ride's here!" Archie dashed off down the beach, waded into the ocean, and pulled himself up onto the jet ski. With a grinding of gears and a sputter of gasoline, it disappeared into the distance atop a frothy wake.

"Oh, great." Norman slumped his shoulders in resignation. "What a mess."

"It's okay, son," Stanley reassured, clapping Norman on the arm. "You're good at cleaning them up. I know it!"

"What a wonderful battle, dear!" His mother patted him gently on the other arm. "But now…" All three adults cast their eyes on May thoughtfully.

She could feel her face and neck light on fire. "Okay, so I lost!" she snapped. She cradled Torchic to her chest, feeling helpless. "Now what?"

"I think the first thing we need to do is to take your Torchic to the Pokémon Center, May. Then we'll talk."

May sighed and stood up. She looked up into her father's stern dark eyes. "Are you mad at me, Dad?"

"For what?" Norman seemed genuinely surprised by the question.

"Because I'm so…"

"Rash? Stubborn? Hot-headed?"

"Hey!"

"Well, you are those things. And it's okay. Most teenagers are, I think. Now, I would like you to be a little more cautious, but that will come in time." Her father gently cupped her chin. "I just don't want you to get hurt, May. You're my baby girl. But I can also tell that you have the beginnings of greatness inside of you, and I think that someday, you'll be a wonderful trainer." He smiled down at her. "But that day isn't today."

"So… What do I do?" she asked, feeling conflicted.

Her father's smile widened. "I think it's time you attended the Trainer's School in Rustboro."

"Really?" May couldn't contain her excitement.

"We'll talk about it after we get Torchic healed."

"Yeah," added Stanley, drawing his family into a close circle. "Let's go home. I think I've had enough excitement today to last me the rest of my life."

**xXxXx**

Maxie watched Professor Birch swing the door shut behind him. He turned towards the street and breathed in through his nose, and then smiled.

"I'm going to win this time, brother. Just watch me."


End file.
